THE WATERDOWN LIBRARY AND CIVIC CENTRE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS
PROJECT DESCRIPTION THE WATERDOWN LIBRARY AND CIVIC CENTRE IS A 23,500 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY HOUSING SPACE FOR: A LIBRARY; A PUBLIC ARCHIVE; TWO FLEXIBLE RECREATION ROOMS; AND MUNICIPAL, COMMUNITY AND POLICE SERVICES OUTLETS. THE NEW LIBRARY AND CIVIC COMPLEX IS LOCATED AT 163 DUNDAS STREET WEST, IN WATERDOWN, ONTARIO. THE SITE IS LOCATED IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE EXISTING TOWN CENTRE, ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD TO THE NORTH, WEST AND EAST. THE TOWN OF WATERDOWN, AND THE SITE ITSELF, IS LOCATED AT A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH ELEVATION ATOP THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT. THE SITE DROPS APPROXIMATELY THREE METRES FROM ITS HIGH POINT TOWARDS DUNDAS STREET TO THE SOUTH, AND ACROSS THE STREET, THE TOPOGRAPHY CONTINUES TO FALL UNTIL IT REACHES LAKE ONTARIO. THE LIBRARY IS ENVISIONED AS A FRAGMENT OF THE DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE UPON WHICH IT SITS. THE SCHEME USES MATERIAL, FORM, AND THE CREATION OF AN ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE TO HEIGHTEN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE USER, ASPIRING TO CREATE AN INEXTRICABLE CONNECTION TO ITS IMMEDIATE SITE, AND TO THE GREATER LANDSCAPE OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT. THE DESIGN PROCESS BEGAN WITH AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE DRAMATIC TOPOGRAPHY ON SITE. THE DESIGN TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THIS TOPOGRAPHY, USING THE CHANGE IN ELEVATION TO PROVIDE EXPRESSION AND ACCESS TO THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMMATIC ELEMENTS WITHIN. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE ARCHITECTURE IS CONCEIVED AS TOPOGRAPHY, LIKE THE GEOLOGICAL LANDFORM IT SITS UPON. THE SCHEME ATTEMPTS TO HARNESS SOUTH FACING VIEWS TOWARD DUNDAS STREET, THE ESCARPMENT AND LAKE ONTARIO BEYOND. MOVEMENT BETWEEN PROGRAMS IS SEEN AS FLUID, ALLOWING USERS TO FLOW FROM ONE TERRAIN TO ANOTHER ALONG GENTLE SLOPING WALKWAYS. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE BUILDING HAS BEEN ORGANIZED AS A SINGLE STORY, SPLIT LEVEL FACILITY WHICH EXISTS ON SIX LEVELS. EACH OF THE SIX LEVELS IS ARRIVED AT BY WAY OF BARRIER FREE 1:20 SLOPING WALKWAYS. THE ORGANIZATION ALLOWS FOR TWO ENTRY POINTS, ONE AT THE LOWER STREET LEVEL ELEVATION AND ONE AT A MID-LEVEL ELEVATION. THE TOPOGRAPHY IS EXTENDED INTO THE LIBRARY WHICH IS ORGANIZED AS A SERIES OF FOUR TERRACES. THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE LIBRARY SITS EXACTLY ONE STORY ABOVE THE RECREATION CENTRE, SITUATED AT THE LOWEST ELEVATION. A LARGE READING ATRIUM IS SITUATED AT THE HIGH ELEVATION PROVIDING STRIKING VIEWS OF THE ESCARPMENT AND THE LAKE BEYOND. SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES INCLUDE: MAXIMIZED DAY LIGHTING THROUGH THE USE OF LARGE EXTENTS OF GLAZED CURTAIN WALL; CUSTOM CERAMIC FRIT PATTERNS AND WOOD FINS AS SOLAR SCREENING DEVICES; THE USE OF SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF RECYCLED MATERIAL, INCLUDING DOUGLAS FIR WALL PANELS AND FINS THAT WERE SALVAGED FROM RENOVATIONS TO THE HAMILTON CENTRAL LIBRARY; USE OF LOCALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS THROUGHOUT; USE OF LOW V.O.C. MATERIALS THROUGHOUT; DAYLIGHT HARVESTING SYSTEMS; USE OF A FLOWERING ORCHARD TO SHADE THE PARKING AREAS; EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOFS, AND THE USE OF BIO-SWALES IN PARKING LOTS AND GREEN SPACES IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN UNDERGROUND RAIN WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM.
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SITE PLAN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
MAIN ENTRY DOORS SLOPING WALKWAY MAIN ENTRY STAIR EXTERIOR BOOK DROP SHADED PARKING EXISTING CEREMONIAL TREE SLOPING PATHWAY TO NEIGHBOURHOOD GREEN ROOF SLOPED GREEN PATHWAY LIBRARY ROOF TERRACE LIBRARY ROOF MAIN ENTRY DRIVE EXIT PATH LOWER LEVEL ENTRY PLAZA
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PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH WEST CORNER OF BUILDING, ILLUSTRATING THE ELEVATED POSITION OF THE LIBRARY READING ATRIUM
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000 LEVEL PLAN 1 LOWER LEVEL ENTRY VESTIBULE 2 SMALL RECREATION ROOM 3 RECREATION CENTRE VESTIBULE 4 SERVING KITCHEN 5 STORAGE 6 LARGE RECREATION ROOM 7 LIBRARY STORAGE ROOM 8 ATRIA/ROGERS SERVER ROOM 9 SLOPING CORRIDOR
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PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH EAST CORNER OF BUILDING, ILLUSTRATING THE LOWER, STREET LEVEL ENTRY PLAZA
VIEW OF MID LEVEL ENTRY ATRIUM WITH SLOPED WALKWAY LEADING TO FIRST LEVEL OF THE LIBRARY
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100 LEVEL PLAN
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1 MAIN ENTRY VESTIBULE 2 MAIN ENTRY ATRIUM 3 SLOPING CORRIDOR TO LIBRARY 4 LIBRARY CORRIDOR 5 BOOK SORTING ROOM 6 BRANCH MANAGER OFFICE 7 STAFF WORK AREA 8 CIRCULATION DESK 9 STAFF WASHROOM 10 STAFF LOUNGE 11 ARCHIVE STAFF AREA 12 ARCHIVE READING ROOM 13 COMPUTER LAB 14 INFORMATION COMMONS 15 READING ATRIUM 16 PERIODICALS 17 STUDY CARRELS 18 ADULT COLLECTION 19 QUIET STUDY ROOM 20 TEEN COLLECTION 21 STUDY CARRELS 22 QUIET STUDY ROOM 23 CORRIDOR 24 MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM 25 STORAGE AREA 26 CHILDREN’S AREA 27 SLOPING CORRIDOR 28 MALE WASHROOM 29 FEMALE WASHROOM 30 COMMUNITY SERVICES 31 MECH. / ELEC. ROOMS 32 POLICE SERVICES 33 STORAGE AREA 34 BALANCING ROOM 35 MUNICIPAL SERVICES
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DETAIL VIEW OF WEST ELEVATION LIMESTONE FIN SOLAR SCREENING ELEMENTS
SECTION 1-1
ELEVATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF SOUTH, DUNDAS STREET FACADE
SECTION A-A
VIEW OF CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY AREA, AND CORRESPONDING ACOUSTIC VOLUME/SKYLIGHT ABOVE.
VIEW OF 5TH LEVEL TERRACE WITHIN LIBRARY, STACKS, HIGHLIGHTING ONE OF THE CORRESPONDING SKYLIGHTS WHICH DEMARCATE EACH LEVEL
DETAIL VIEW OF THE SOUTH ELEVATION ILLUSTRATING THE LAYERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOLAR SCREENIG CONCEPT
T5 HIGH OUTPUT FLOURESCENT LIGHTING
RECYCLED DOUGLAS FIR WOOD FINS
ALUMINUM SSG CURTAIN WALL FRAMING
HIGH PERFORMANCE SEALED DOUBLE GLAZED UNITS
CUSTOM CERAMIC FRIT PATTERN
INTERIOR VIEW OF LIBRARY READING ATRIUM, WITH CORRESPONDING SKYLIGHT ABOVE, AND RECYCLED DOUGLAS FIR FINS AT SOUTH ELEVATION
VIEW OF SOUTH, DUNDAS STREET, FACADE ILLUSTRATING THE LIBRARY HOVERING ONE STOREY ABOVE THE LOWER, STREET LEVEL ENTRY AND RECREATION ROOMS BEYOND